Monday, April 19, 2021

My Great Big Fabric Stash and the Great Declutter

Our plan is to get our "Rec Room" emptied out so that we can pull up the carpet and replace the ceiling tiles. I helped install both of those items 47 years ago so they are very very long overdue for replacing! There is a small living area that Alicia is trying to use as a home learning space for the virtual university classes she is taking. We use down there but most of the room is filled with storage tubs, a whole lot of Christmas stuff, art supplies and hobby materials and lots and lots of books and magazines that were left in the rec room. 

I am having a lot of trouble moving around and still can't bend or pick up a lot of things so I need a lot of help and everything takes much longer than I want it to. The stairs alone are hard to navigate. We will persevere and get this done! We are doing a bit in all the areas of the basement but ultimately the rec room is our target.

 We are taking decluttering very seriously at our house, and in particular, we are focusing on our basement. It is more difficult than it sounds. 

The backstory is that I moved into this very house with my mom when I was only 16 and raised my own kids in this house too.

Basically, I have a lifetime of living in this house, and I have a mountain of my stuff to prove it. I still have some of my mom's furniture, dishware, linens and other belongings here even though she has been gone 43 years now. My Grandmother moved in with my mom and me when I was 16 because she was too ill to live independently. She brought her furniture with her. Bob and I got married when I was 21, and he moved in with the contents of his apartment.  This was followed over the years by adding even more things inherited from my dad and some from Bob's parents. Next, we still have the many items of memorabilia that belong to our oldest two children. Alicia and Emily have all their belongings here too. I think Bob and I both have issues parting with belongings, and at the same time, we enjoy collections, and we all seem to have a lot of hobbies, that require supplies.

I often don't feel like it is my stuff to deal with. It wasn't originally my belongings, so it feels wrong to get rid of or make decisions about those items. We have made LOTS of attempts to clean it out, but I think this just might be the time we are successful. We really need more living space. Like many other families, Covid has really caused us to re-examine how we use our space. What do we actually want to do in our home and yard? We need to make changes. And for me? I really need to stop living in the past. Even if I don't feel a sense of ownership over a lot of the stuff in this house, most of it is indeed my responsibility. It is our home. It is where we want to live a good life instead of a place to simply warehouse our stuff. I want to be able to enjoy and use our treasured belongings and to be able to get at the items we do keep. We also have quite an amazing collection of inherited stuff in our cottage. Still, somehow we have done a better job keeping that place under control.

Our plan is to get our "Rec Room" emptied out so that we can pull up the carpet and replace the ceiling tiles. I helped install both of those items 47 years ago, so they are very, very long overdue for replacing! There is a small living area down there that Alicia is trying to use as a home learning space for the virtual university classes she is taking. Unfortunately, most of the room is filled with storage tubs, a lot of Christmas stuff, art supplies and hobby materials and lots, and lots of books and magazines left in the rec room. 

I am having a lot of trouble moving around and still can't bend or pick up many things, so I need a lot of help, and everything takes much longer than I want it to. The stairs alone are hard to navigate and pretty exhausting. We will persevere and get this done! We are doing a bit in all the different areas in the basement, but ultimately, the rec room is our target

One of my main projects for this week is to gather my fabric and sewing supplies all into one place so that I can think through what to do with it all. Trust me, there is a lot of material and supplies. Mainly, I want to sew it into finished projects. lol  Probably not the best use of my time, though! 

Bob and I plan to set up the dining room table with my sewing machine and serger on Monday and see how it goes. I'm not sure how my leg or back will do with sewing until I try, so I will begin with a handful of small projects. I will take some pictures as I go. 

I have another appointment with my Orthopedic Surgeon in the morning so stay tuned for an update about my knee and hip this week.


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